13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” ’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
Discussion Questions
Why did Jesus refuse to act as a judge or an arbitrator?
What is the relationship between Jesus’ decision and the parable?
Discussion Summary
Jesus refused to act as a judge because he was not a typical teacher. He was focused on his main ministry, “I come not to judge the world but to save it.” John 12:47, John 9:14, Isaiah 42:21
Jesus refused to act as a judge because of the example of Moses given in Acts 7-23-28. He did not present himself as a judge to his people, but as their deliverer.
Jesus refused to act as a judge because the root of the issue was not a settlement but greed on the part of the asker. This is shown by the lesson of the parable in verse 21. The rich man in the parable was not laying up “treasure for God.” A few additional scriptures illustrating this same lesson are: Colossians 3:12,13; I Timothy 6:6-10; Ecclesiastes 2:18-22.
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